Daniel L. Ritchie
Daniel Ritchie attended Harvard University in Boston, MA, earning a Bachelor's degree and a Master's in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. After earning his degrees from Harvard, he briefly served in the Army, and then as a securities analyst in New York.
Ritchie came to Colorado to run Columbia Savings and Loan in the 1960s. After working with Columbia Savings and Loan, Ritchie moved to Hollywood, serving as Executive Vice President of MCA and Inc. According to Ritchie, Hollywood made him "queasy," so he left Hollywood's "grubby" and "heartless" business.
After years in Hollywood, Ritchie was invited to become involved in the University of Denver, during a time when the University suffered from the financial downturn that had engulfed the Denver area in the 1980s. He served as vice-chairman of the board and chaired the development committee before becoming Chancellor.
As the Chancellor, he served without pay and has donated most of his spacious Grand River Ranch to the University, which has netted more than $50 million for various University projects over time. As he said of the gift in 1998, "The ranch has held a very special place in my heart for the last two decades. I love this land, but I love the University of Denver more."
In June 1994, Ritchie announced his first personal gift to the University of $15 million, to be achieved through the sale of 19,600 acres of his ranch. Under Chancellor Ritchie's leadership, the University concluded the largest fundraising campaign in 2001, topping the $200 million goal by nearly $74 million. The campus' skyline and culture changed with a multi-million-dollar construction and renovation program that began under Ritchie's leadership. In 2005, again under Ritchie’s leadership, DU opened the new Center for Travel & Tourism, which serves as an academic research center.
Ritchie came to Colorado to run Columbia Savings and Loan in the 1960s. After working with Columbia Savings and Loan, Ritchie moved to Hollywood, serving as Executive Vice President of MCA and Inc. According to Ritchie, Hollywood made him "queasy," so he left Hollywood's "grubby" and "heartless" business.
After years in Hollywood, Ritchie was invited to become involved in the University of Denver, during a time when the University suffered from the financial downturn that had engulfed the Denver area in the 1980s. He served as vice-chairman of the board and chaired the development committee before becoming Chancellor.
As the Chancellor, he served without pay and has donated most of his spacious Grand River Ranch to the University, which has netted more than $50 million for various University projects over time. As he said of the gift in 1998, "The ranch has held a very special place in my heart for the last two decades. I love this land, but I love the University of Denver more."
In June 1994, Ritchie announced his first personal gift to the University of $15 million, to be achieved through the sale of 19,600 acres of his ranch. Under Chancellor Ritchie's leadership, the University concluded the largest fundraising campaign in 2001, topping the $200 million goal by nearly $74 million. The campus' skyline and culture changed with a multi-million-dollar construction and renovation program that began under Ritchie's leadership. In 2005, again under Ritchie’s leadership, DU opened the new Center for Travel & Tourism, which serves as an academic research center.